The confiscation of land necessarily requires identifiable targets. In China, there are few large landlords but many small ones. If only the land of the big landlords were confiscated, there would not be enough persons subject to expropriation, and consequently the amount of land seized would be small. Yet the demand for land among the poor peasants is very great. Confiscating only the land of the big landlords would fail to meet the peasants’ aspirations and needs. To win over the entire peasant mass, it is essential to confiscate all landlord land and distribute it to the peasants. As for the method of land confiscation, our Party, through the Revolutionary Committee, should formulate a land policy outlining all procedures, which would then be implemented by the Peasants’ Associations or the Revolutionary Committees. This land-confiscation policy must also provide a proper arrangement for the landlords whose land is being taken away. Therefore, we propose that for landlords who are unable to work, have limited working capacity, or are old and infirm, the Peasants’ Associations should collect a certain quantity of agricultural produce within the framework of the agricultural tax and distribute it equally among these individuals. At the same time, all oppressive taxes imposed on the peasants should be abolished, and an agricultural tax should be instituted.

The development of the Autumn Harvest Uprising in Hunan was aimed at resolving the peasants’ land question—this is beyond dispute. However, to initiate and carry out such an uprising, the peasants’ own strength alone is insufficient; military assistance is indispensable. With a force of approximately one regiment, the uprising could succeed; otherwise, it would inevitably end in failure. The essence of the uprising lies in seizing political power. To seize power without armed forces to defend it or to take it by force is sheer self-deception. Our Party’s past mistake was precisely its neglect of military affairs. We must now devote sixty percent of our energy to the military movement: to seize power through the barrel of a gun and thereby establish a new regime.